Pest Detection
Pest Detection
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The primary responsibilities of the Pest Detection/Emergency Projects Branch (PD/EP) are the early detection and prompt eradication of serious agricultural pests from California. This is accomplished through the operation of a statewide detection trapping program, special detection surveys, and the maintenance of emergency projects response teams. The Branch administers the statewide detection trapping program through trapping contracts with 46 county departments of agriculture. State personnel conduct trapping in Orange, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside, Santa Clara, Marin, Mendocino, Yolo, and Yuba Counties. Functionally, Branch activities may be divided into the following four components: Managerial, Operations Center, Pest Detection, and Emergency Projects.
The primary objectives of the statewide pest detection system are to find insect pests before they infest one square mile and plant diseases before they exceed one-half of a square mile.
Insects targeted for detection by the statewide network of traps include exotic fruit flies (particularly species of Bactrocera, Dacus, Ceratitis, and Anastrepha), Japanese beetle, light brown apple moth, khapra beetle, gypsy moth, European corn borer, and European pine shoot moth